Promising Goodbyes
by Auna
Summary: Lady Pilot waits with her family for her transportation to Elack.


Title: Promising Goodbye's

Author: Auna

Rating: G

Setting: 350 cycles before episode 4.1

Beta's: Thank you to Shipsister and Aeryncrichton for a read-through, and to Crash, who helped supply me with the facts I needed.

Disclaimer: Farscape is not mine, and I am not making any money from the free use I make of its characters.

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The night sky was littered with countless stars shining through the darkness. The mist covering the water was especially luminescent this evening. At least, it seemed that way to her. Sitting on the sandy shore, she closed her eyes and breathed in the salty air she loved so much. It was hard to believe that she would never see this place again. Still... she couldn't change her mind. No matter how often they asked her to.

"Mother, it's not too late," her oldest said for the tenth time in a hundred microts. "You can come live with me and..."

"No, Brntcglyjk," she interrupted before he could bore her with the same argument he'd tried for the last three monens. "I want to do this."

She wanted to explore, to see the stars. Her entire life, she knew that she was destined to be a Pilot. But by the time she'd become of age to apply to the Elders, she was already joined to Sdfghmvcx. She couldn't bring herself to regret waiting. The years spent with her mate were glorious, and she would always cherish those memories.

Yes, she had loved, and been loved in return. The six grown children that now surrounded her with mates and children of their own were a testament to the power of the bond between her and the young man she'd joined with nearly two centuries ago.

But she'd made a promise to him, and she intended to keep that promise. They had both sacrificed their dreams to be together, but they had made a vow. The one who lived the longest would take the other to the stars.

And then, five cycles ago, he'd died. For monens she'd been bereft, lost without her constant companion. Her children had tried to help, but only her great-grandchild, drawing her a sand picture of the night sky had awaked her desire to soar.

She'd been preparing ever since. She was still young, only about three hundred cycles. And Brntcglyjk wasn't going to tell her what to do with her life.

A large ship appeared high in the sky, slowly headed for the small crowd on the sand embankment. This was it. This was her ride.

"Oh grammy!" little Nbxzawdfr cried, throwing herself on her grandmother. "I love you."

Her voice choked in her throat, and she had to cough slightly before she could answer. "I love you too, little one," she answered, stroking the child's head with one arm while reaching out to her children with the others. "Watch over your mother for me. You know how she forgets things sometimes."

"Yes Grammy,"

Softly, she managed to caress each one of her family; some on the face, others on their heads, a few on their arms. Her throat closed up and she forced herself to look towards the ship that was now hovering above the shallow water. They were ready for her.

She looked at her family one last time. She never realized it would be this hard. Finally, with determination, she turned and waded to the ship. "Hundreds of voices behind her were calling "I love you!" "Be safe!" and "Never forget us!" But through the noise, one small voice carried through. "HAVE LOTS OF FUN ADVENTURES GRAMMY!"

Her spirit lifted and soared as her chest squeezed. Her eyes filled with joyous tears, and she lifted her arms high above her head. The crowd behind her cheered, and she began the climb the ramp to the belly of the massive transport. The very last sound she ever heard on her planet was the victory shouts from her legacy.

The door to the ship closed and immediately began to rise in the air. She was on her way. She'd made it. They'd made it. "We're on our way Sdfghmvcx," she mumbled low under her breath. The Elder that sat across from her looked at her strangely, but offered a gentle smile. He surely had seen many strange actions from their race as he assisted each new Pilot bond.

Her stomach turned with the ascent, and she was afraid she was going to be sick. Her body was beginning to feel slightly dry without the comfort of the water, but still she continued to smile and tried to divert her thoughts by going over the information she'd been given. "Elack." She practiced saying the strange name, rolling the sound around in her mouth. "Elack."

And she could almost hear Sdfghmvcx's voice laughing, giddy with the excitement of the adventure that awaited them. She could hardly wait.


End file.
